Three days of Christmas
by AgentOfShip
Summary: Fitz and Simmons are stuck at the airport during a snowstorm, waiting for their plane to take them home for Christmas. As they pass the time together, confusing feelings erupt. FitzSimmons academy AU. This story will have three chapters, first one on Christmas, a second during the holidays and the last one will be up just after to match the timeline of the story.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm talking a small break from my other story to write this one. I've always loved seasonal FitzSimmons stories so I wanted to try one! So here's the first part (it was supposed to be up sooner but I didn't have time to proofread it), the next should be up sometime during the holidays and the conclusion will come just after to match the timeline of the story. Hope you'll enjoy it and as always reviews are most welcome :)**  
 **And of course the characters are not mine and belong to Marvel!**  
 **Merry Christmas everyone!**

"Fitz you don't need to carry my suitcase, you already have yours to carry!" Jemma said as they were making their way towards the airport entrance.

"That's alright. I just have to roll it anyway so let me be a gentleman for once!" He said with a grin. "Still I don't see how you could need so many things for two weeks!" He added with a teasing tone.

"Christmas gifts Fitz!" She said, rolling her eyes at him. "And you're being gentlemanly enough, coming with me to the airport when your plane doesn't take off for another five hours!" She said, her expression softening as he finally managed to make her stop trying to get her suitcase back.

"That's alright, I would have come here in a few hours anyway and I'm better here with you than at home on my own." He said and couldn't keep a small smile off his face even as rolled his eyes when she let out a big "awwwww". "We'll also get to maintain at least some of our Christmas traditions" He added with a sigh.

"Yeah ..." She said, getting a little melancholic even though she knew it wasn't really so terrible.

Since they joined SHIELD academy and became almost immediately best friends three years ago, they had barely spent a day apart except during the Christmas holidays. Each year, Jemma and Fitz had been going home respectively to Sheffield and Glasgow for two weeks. And this year was no different except that Fitz waited too long to take his plane ticket, so instead of being on the same plane and both taking their connexion in London like they used to, he had a connexion in Frankfurt. They were going to be apart for two weeks so really six hours didn't make such a big difference but still they had their little habits and traditions before and during the flight. And it was just much more fun when they were together. Also, she had to recognize that she missed him more and more every time they were separated but at least, he obviously felt the same or he wouldn't have made the effort of being ready a whole three hours before he had to.

"Also ..." He started with a grin, interrupting her in her musings. "... this year is your turn to pay for the drinks" He finished and she rolled her eyes while bumping his shoulder with hers.

As usual at this time of year, the airport was bursting with people and the noise that always accompanies it. The bad weather that had been worsening since the beginning of the afternoon made things worse than usual since lots of flights were starting to get delayed. People were ranting, children were screaming and with all the people standing in front of the screens for informations on their flight, it was really hard to move around the halls. Even Jemma, who was always so cheery during this period, was starting to lose patience. The fact that she might end up sitting next to someone who would be snoring, smelly or worse, flirty, instead of Fitz didn't help either. People always assumed they were a couple and most of the time, she corrected them, but on the plane or the train, he made the perfect shield between her and anyone potentially annoying.

By some sort of miracle, both their flights were still announced on time so once they managed to pass the monstrous crowd at the entrance of the airport, they proceeded to their check-in counter. By chance, their departure gates were close to each other so they'd be able to wait for their flight together as planned. But unfortunately, that's where their luck stopped. They had barely made it through security and into the departures lounge that the information screen was updated and they saw that Jemma's flight was delayed because of the snow.

"At least, we get to spend a bit more time together" Fitz said, gently squeezing her shoulder when she let out a big sigh. It was obviously a sympathetic gesture from him but she could swear she saw a little pleased smile on his face as he did that.

-0-0-0-

"Okay you know the rules, I pay for the drinks, you start talking" Jemma said as they both sat down in one of the empty booths.

"Yeah yeah, just let me get that drink first and think for a minute, it's been an eventful year!" Fitz answered with a grin.

"Fine I'll go get the beers and you take out that list _I know_ you already prepared!" Jemma said, raising an eyebrow. He looked at her innocently then after a moment he took out his phone to look for said list in his notes. She grinned at him triumphantly and walked to the bar to get their usual drinks.

The bar wasn't really special. It was a rather classic airport pub that served beer and other kind of drinks as well as overpriced airport food but they went there the first time they've gone home together. The beer was good and it was always a little less noisy than the rest of the departures lounge. The first time they went there, they've only known each other for a few months and even though they were already becoming very close friends, they didn't know much about each other's life outside at the academy at the time. So Jemma had offered him a drink in exchange of him giving her more details about his life. At the time, Fitz had been grateful that it was her who asked first. He never really had many real friends before Jemma, being always younger than everyone and a bit shy, and he didn't always know what was appropriate to ask about someone.

The following year, there really wasn't anything they _didn't_ know about each other so he offered her a drink in exchange for her making a list of all the positive and negative things that happened in her life since the last time. After that it became some sort of tradition that they both took very seriously. As the years advanced at the academy, their lives were becoming more and more intense in every aspect so of course, he had prepared a list.

When she went back with the beers, they both took it, cheered and down a few gulps before putting it back down.

"Come one, talk now!" Jemma said with an expectant smile that he couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Fine, bad things first, I'll keep the best for last!" He started and she nodded her agreement. "First, I didn't get to see my mom very much this year and I'm afraid it will only get worse when we graduate from the academy." He said and she tilted her head to the side sympathetically.

"We'll do our best to take a week during spring break to go home, I promise" She said and even though he knew there were few chances of that happening, the sincerity in her small smile made him feel a little hopeful and he gave her a small smile back.

"I completely failed my only new year's resolution of meeting new people. Really I think you ruined other people for me, they're all soooo boring compared to you!" He said sighing and it's only when she blushed furiously that he realized he never paid her such a big compliment out loud. Of course, they'd been best friends for years, they barely left each other's side and he had no social interaction with anyone else except for the few people in engineering class he sometimes went out with for a drink after a long day of work. By now, she should have known how much he valued her but knowing something and actually having a vocal confirmation was a bit different.

After the initial surprise, she gave him a shy but warm smile before talking. "Well you did make friends with these two guys in engineering class ..." She started.

"They're colleagues, not friends but okay I guess ..." He answered.

"... and there was Emily of course" She said, grinning slightly. She knew it was old enough so it was okay to smile about it now.

"Yeah, that was next on my list!" He said, sighing.

"Oh come on, at least you tried" She said, gently squeezing his hand.

"Yeah it was just after new year, I was unnaturally hopeful, it lasted two weeks and it was a disaster ... and you know it" He said, raising his eyebrow. "Really I don't know why I bother ... I guess it's just not for me" He said as he proceeded to gulp down almost half of his beer.

"Don't say that, any woman would be lucky to have you" She said and there was a sincerity in her voice and soft look that made him blush a little so he dismissed it with a joke.

"Well thank you mom!" He said with a smirk and she swat his arm.

"I mean it Fitz ..."

"I know, I know" He said and they locked eyes for a moment before she spoke again.

"Okay, on to the positive things now!"

"Well work obviously!" He said with a big smile.

"You're going to have to be more precise than that Fitz" She answered with a smirk.

"Well, there's my mouse hole that's been praised by Nick Fury in person!" He said with a genuine innocent smile and she smiled back. His enthusiasm was always so contagious when he talked about work. He was like a child talking about his new favorite toy, except he was a genius in his field and most people didn't understand half of what he was saying. That was one more thing they had in common.

"And I heard they're already using it on the field!" She added.

"Yep! And also he's already very interested in our night-night gun! He said he wants us to make it a priority" Fitz added and she gently rolled her eyes.

"You know they will _never_ keep that name right?" She said with a smirk and raised an eyebrow.

"We'll see ... but still two projects making it to production and we're not even out of the academy yet!" He added, his Scottish accent getting a little stronger as he grew more excited.

"Yeah it's quite amazing ... to us!" She said raising her glass.

"To us!" He answered before raising his own glass and they both gulped down the remainder of their pint. "Which leads me to the next positive thing which is you of course!" He added, his smile softening and she found that she had trouble holding his gaze. His beautiful blue eyes were made a little darker by the soft lightning of the room but they also had a glint to them. She didn't know if it was caused by the alcohol or the topic of their conversation but it troubled her for a moment.

"Yeah we've always worked so well together ..." She started.

"Yeah of course, we're twice as smart together but it's not just that ... I've never had such a close friend and I'm really thankful for that" He said and again she started blushing. He didn't know what was getting to him today. Why was he so sentimental? It's wasn't the beer, a pint was nothing for him. Maybe he just realized how important she was for him and finally felt like it was time to say it instead of it being implicit between them. It had been a long stressful year and he knew she was one of the main reasons he managed to keep his sanity.

"Oh Fitz ..." She said with a soft smile as she grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He didn't need her to say more anyway. He knew she felt the same.

"Okay, your turn now!" He said with a grin as he was starting to feel like the moment was stretching a bit too much.

"Yeah, I'll get us another beer first!" She said as she suddenly let go of his hand and got up to go to the bar.

When she got back a few minutes later, he was waiting for her with his arms crossed and an a smile on his face.

"Okay, let's start with the negative things then. Well like you, I regret not being able to see my family more this past year but I guess it was to be expected as we get closer to graduation." She said and he nodded in agreement. "There's also the fact that I'm starting to lose contact with the few friends I have back home ..." She added and he tilted his head in sympathy.

"Maybe you should try reaching out to them while you're at home. I'm sure they'd be happy to hear about you!" He said in a soft tone and she nodded.

"You're right, I'll do that ... so anyway the most negative thing has to be the complete and utter disappointment and loss of precious time that was Milton" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh ... Milton" He answered with a disgusted face and even though the memory still stung a bit, she couldn't help smiling at his childish reaction.

"Yeah, you never really liked him. Did you?" She said.

"He was just so boring and annoying ... always thought you deserved better than his stupid cabbage head!" He added, getting even more childish. Actually she didn't recall him liking any of her boyfriends.

"Fitz!" She cried out in mock offense. "... but I guess you weren't wrong ..." She added with a sigh. "... actually, you've always been quite right about all my boyfriends, maybe I should let you choose for me" She said with a smirk.

"Yeahhhh ... because that wouldn't be weird _at all_!" He answered and they both chuckled.

"But really, I don't why I bother having relationships with anyone but you ..." She said before realizing how it might have sounded like in this context. "... not that we're in a _relationship_ , I mean you're my best friend and ..." She started but he cut her off.

"I know what you mean Jemma, I think I would have noticed anyway ..." He said smirking cheekily and she blushed a bit. Why was he having such an effect on her tonight?

"Yeah of course ..." She said, smiling a little awkwardly. "So that brings me to the positive things" She said before getting a few gulps of her beer and saying the rest of her list. "Basically it's the same as yours. I still love everything I'm doing at the academy and I'm so glad we're getting so much recognition." She said with a big smile he was quick to reciprocate. "And I'm especially glad about all the projects we have together!" She added. "I mean, the other day I talked with a few freshmen and they heard about us before entering the academy but they actually thought we were a single person called Fitzsimmons! How crazy is that?" She cried out enthusiastically and they both laughed out loud. Since they were paired up during their first year, they've done so well that all their professors gradually started to pair them up every time it was possible. By the end of the year, most people were calling them Fitzsimmons and even though, for a time they tried to correct people to remind them that they were tow separate people, they actually liked it. Nothing bad with being associated with the most brilliant mind both of them had ever met.

"So I guess the best thing of this past year has to be you Fitz" She said after they were done laughing and it was his time to blush.

"Oh no ... there has to be something else, you cannot mean ..." He started but she cut her off.

"No really Fitz. What you said about me earlier was adorable and I feel just the same. it's not only about work, you're always there for me. I'll never say it enough but it's so nice to finally have someone who can follow me when I talk. But you also comforted me when I broke up with Milton and you motivate me when I lose courage" She said and his cheeks blushed even redder. He wasn't used to getting so many compliments.

"Well you have to deal with my grumpiness all the time, that's the least I can do for you ..." He said, smirking a bit, finally able to stop blushing.

"Oh come on I know the grumpiness is a façade, deep down you have the biggest heart of everyone I know ..." She said and he grinned mischievously.

"Well I hope it's still a normal size cause you know I'm not really big or tall, it wouldn't be healthy to have too big a heart and ..." He started and she cut her off.

"Fiiiitz ..." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Fine ... I guess I can be nice ... to people who deserve it!" He answered with a small grin and she smiled back softly. She knew she was probably one of the very few people who've seen how incredibly sweet he actually was and that made her feel special somehow.

-0-0-0-

Once they were finished with the first of their airport Christmas traditions, they realized that they just had two pints of beer and that it may be a good idea to get something to eat. So as they shared a plate of chips and onion rings, they started talking again. It went from their plans for the next two weeks -for Fitz it would mostly be stuffing his face with his mom's cooking while Jemma planned on using this time to start working out again- to the projects they were working on together to the much anticipated Doctor Who Christmas special they were planning to watch together via Skype. Whatever the situation, they never ran out of things to talk about. Which was strange to a lot of people since they spent most of their waking hours together, but not to them. If they believed in that sort of things, they would say they were soulmates. Once when Fitz was a bit drunk, which was no small feat since he could really hold his liquor, he told her that his theory was that their molecules were both part of the same bigger organism at some point in the past and that's why their minds were so alike. At the time Jemma loved it and it's only later that she realized how incredibly romantic it was. Fitz didn't betray his Scottish origins, he really did have the soul of a poet sometimes. Though it was mostly when he was drunk and didn't remember it afterwards.

-0-0-0-

After almost two hours of sitting, drinking, eating and talking, they both felt like walking a bit. So as was tradition, Jemma paid the tab and they went out of the bar to walk towards the information screen. Jemma's plane was still delayed.

"If it goes on like that, you'll end up taking off before me!" She said, sighing.

"Well at least, it's just delayed, not cancelled so you'll probably leave ... at some point ... probably before Christmas" He said grinning and she swat his arm.

"Hey it's not nice to make fun of me!" She said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I'm not making fun of you Jemma" He said and she raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "Really I'm not ..." He started but she kept looking at him with the same look. "... fine maybe a bit but mostly I'm kind of glad that we get to spend more time together before going our separate ways." He said and she immediately softened.

"Oh Fitz ..." She said as she laced her arm through his. "Come on, let's go watch the snow" She added and they started walking towards the window. "It's keeping us grounded but at least it's pretty!"

They remained in front of the window for several minutes looking outside. Even though people were starting to leave, the inside of the airport was still a little chaotic, which made the outside look even more peaceful and beautiful. Fitz was used to having snow during most of the winter back in Scotland but in Sheffield it was much more rare and it seemed that Jemma would never tire of it. With the outside lights reflecting on her face and the genuine happy smile on her face, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He found her pretty the first time they met back when they were sixteen but she only grew more and more beautiful and it had actually started to confuse him a few months ago but he always dismissed that fact to the back of his brain.

After a time, he felt her shiver so he opened his arm for her and she instinctively came closer, putting her arm around his waist as his went around her shoulder to take advantage of each other's body warmth. As the southerner she was, she wasn't used to the cold that came with the snow either but in this specific case, he really didn't mind.

A few minutes later, an elderly couple came to watch the snow just like them. When Jemma turned her head towards them, the woman gave her a big smile which Jemma returned immediately.

"You two make such a lovely couple." She said. "Bert and I have been watching the snow just like you're doing for 60 years now" She added and just as Fitz was about to tell her that they weren't a couple, that they were just friends, Jemma answered her.

"Oh thank you" She said with a tender smile and Fitz's eyes went a little wide. "And congratulations on your sixty years of marriage" She added which made the older woman laugh a little.

"Oh but we haven't been married that long. Bert and I had been friends for almost ten years before he finally made a move and asked me out!" She said and both her and Bert chuckled.

"Oh I see ..." Jemma said, blushing slightly as she was forced to recognize how similar to their situation it felt. Except for the fact that they were just friends and she didn't expect Fitz to _make a move_ on her anytime soon.

When the elderly couple walked away to sit down after a few minutes, Fitz turned to Jemma with a raised eyebrow.

"It happens so often that I realized it was easier and faster to just say thank you rather than trying to explain that we're just friends, at least to people that we're never going to see again anyway!" She said with a tentative smile.

"Yeah, makes sense I guess" He said after thinking about it for a few seconds but then a mischievous smile made its way on her face. "... wouldn't happen so often if you could keep your hands off me though"

"Hey!" She said, trying to disentangle herself from him but he didn't let her.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I know you're always cold!" He said with a softer smile and they still stayed like that until she stifled a big yawn.

"Tired?" He asked.

"Yeah ... I guess those last crazy weeks of work are finally catching up on me." She answered as she stifled another yawn.

"Come on, let's find a seat and I'll get you a tea or something" He said disentangling himself from her and grabbing her arm to lead her towards two empty seats not far from them.

"Thank you Fitz, you're adorable" She said with a soft smile as she sat on one of the seats and put her bag on the other to keep Fitz's one. "A tea would be great" She added.

"Okay, I won't be long" He said and walked towards the only place where he knew they were selling decent tea and coffee this side of the airport.

-0-0-0-

When he came back with her tea and his coffee, Jemma had put out her phone but she had an annoyed look on her face.

"What's wrong?" He said as he got closer and extended his hand to give her her cup.

"Oh hi ..." She said visibly startled. "Thank you" She added with a small smile as she took the cup from him. "it's nothing, it's just this guy who waited barely a second after you left to come and talk to me" She finished, rolling her eyes as he put her bag on the floor to sit next to her.

"Oh ... was he agressive or something?" He said, his brows furrowing in concern.

"No no no don't worry. It's just I told him I didn't want to talk, that my friend would be back soon, but he still kept insisting. How hard is it for a guy to take the hint and understand that I'm not interested?" She said her voice, getting a little higher as she grew more annoyed and Fitz felt a bit sheepish even though he obviously knew it wasn't directed at him.

"I don't know I guess ..." He started but she cut him off.

"Oh Fitz, it was just a rhetorical question. I know what a gentleman _you_ are!" She said with a fond smile. "But really that's why I like to have you with me on the plane. I'd rather have a sweet old lady telling us we're a cute couple than a weirdo hitting on me when we're stuck in a plane 36000 feet above the ground" She added with a smirk.

"But what happened to I'm-an-independant-woman-who-can-defend-herself-perfectly-well-on-her-own?" He said with a very bad imitation of her voice and accent.

"I _can_ defend myself perfectly well on my own, I think I've proven that in self defense class, right?" She said with a smirk and he looked down sheepishly. "But it's just so annoying and tiring to have to spend ten minutes explaining you're not interested every time some weird guy comes to talk to you ... So it's much simpler to use you as a shield really!" She added, nudging him gently in the shoulder.

"Oh so that's all I am to you? A shield?" He answered in mock-offense.

"Of course no ... you're also very comfortable to fall asleep on. Especially your shoulder, it's just the perfect height, a little higher than mine but not too high" She said, her smile growing and he couldn't help smiling back.

"Don't forget that I can also bring you tea and fix your toaster" He added and she chuckled. She almost added that he _was_ the perfect boyfriend but thought better of it. She already let out too many involuntary innuendos that night, and coupled with all the looks, she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, especially since she, herself, was a bit confused about it.

-0-0-0-

Once she finished her tea, she actually proved her point when she let her head fall on his shoulder. She said she only wanted to rest a bit but he knew she'd fall asleep soon enough. It didn't happen to her often but when she was really exhausted, she could fall asleep pretty much anywhere. He put out his phone to check his emails and look at the weather to see if it was supposed to get better anytime soon and when he looked at her again a few minutes later, he knew she was asleep from the slower way her chest was rising and falling. Before she was too deeply asleep though, he sat back in his chair and made her head rest on his lap, her legs going up in a foetal position almost automatically. As comfortable as his shoulder was, she would still have a stiff neck if she stayed asleep like that for too long. The movement didn't even make her open her eyes and it looked like her breath had slowed down a little more. He was always amazed at how fast she could fall asleep sometimes.

After a few minutes, she shivered in her sleep so he reached for his coat and put it on her and he could swear he saw a small smile make its way on her face as he did so. She truly was pretty when she slept. Not that she wasn't always, he thought to himself. He did look at her a few times when she fell asleep during their late night working sessions. She always looked so peaceful with the ghost of a smile on her face that he always felt guilty being the one to wake her up.

And this time would make no exception because fifteen minutes after she fell asleep, her plane was finally announced. Apparently the snow had started to calm down and the airport was slowly going back to life. Her plane was set to take off in forty-five minutes which meant they would probably start embarking in another fifteen minutes. So after thinking about it for a moment, he decided to wake her up now to leave her time to wake up gently.

"Jemma?" He said in a soft voice as he got his face a bit closer to hers and rubbed her shoulder.

"Fitz?" She answered, her voice all sleepy and visibly confused, after a moment.

"Jemma, your plane's taking off in forty five minutes, I thought you'd like to have time to wake up before embarking" He said when she turned to look at him, her eyes still heavy from sleep.

"Oh that's good-that's- thank you Fitz-that's sweet of you ..." She said with a sleepy smile and he couldn't help smiling back. Her hair had gone askew and she still had to fight not to close her eyes again and Fitz found it unbearably adorable.

After a minute or so, she managed to sit back on her chair and stretched her arms and legs like a cat. As she started to reach for her bag, Fitz knew what she was looking for and handled her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully.

"Thank you" She said before drinking a few gulps from it. "I'm sorry Fitz, you came to spend some time with me and I fall asleep on your lap like a big baby" She said pouting and he chuckled.

"It's alright, you needed it and you didn't sleep that long anyway" He answered with a gentle smile.

Just as Jemma was about to answer something, a new song came in on the radio and they both smiled wildly. It was a classic Christmas song that Jemma loved and every year, when they heard it at the airport, she couldn't help dancing to it. Which always made Fitz laugh really hard. She clearly wasn't a natural born dancer but her enthusiasm made up for it. For a moment, Fitz hesitated but then he finally stood up and extended his hand to her.

"Come on. Up with you" He said and she looked at him with a surprised expression.

"What? Do you want to ..." She started.

"Yeah why not? Might as well give it a try!" He said, smirking.

"But you never want to dance and I'm so exhausted!" She said but still took his hand to stand up.

"I know but we won't get to honor our in-flight traditions so I thought i could follow you on this one. And it's a slow song anyway, no need to go all crazy like you usually do." He said with a wide grin.

"Alright, if you insist ..." She said and for a moment, they looked at each other, not knowing how they should to that. But then he gently pulled her towards him and hesitantly put his hand on her waist. However light the contact was, it still sent a small delicious shiver up her spine. So she put her own hands around his neck and they started swaying to the music. For a time she felt a little self conscious, dancing in the middle of an airport's lounge but she soon realized that except for a few amused or curious looks, most people didn't care about them. So she relaxed into his arms and just enjoyed the music and the proximity of her best friend. He obviously relaxed as well because the touch of his hands on her waist became firmer and they went a little further towards the middle of her back, bringing her closer in the process.

The whole time, they didn't speak, they just looked at each other and smiled, which made her heart flutter a bit. Even when he was sixteen and achingly shy, he already had this intense look in his eyes that had the ability to make her breath hitch for a moment. It was hard to look away when he looked at her like that and he didn't even seem to notice. Coupled with the feeling of his warm hands permeating through her clothes and the delicious smell of the Cologne she helped him chose, she felt even more confused than she had earlier. Deliciously confused though ... by her best friend.

And of course, there was also the fact that he was the one who asked her to dance, _on a slow song nonetheless_ , when she knew he hated it. So what did it mean?

Just as the song was ending and she was starting to wonder if they should let go of each other, even though she didn't really want it, nice as it felt being in his arms, a voice spoke on the mike over the music saying Jemma's plane was about to embark. So they separated, looking at each other a bit awkwardly, like some kind of charm had been broken.

"I should go ..." She said. "Don't want to miss my flight, after waiting all this time!" She added with a small grin.

"Yeah I'll walk you there! My plane should embark in half an hour, I won't have to wait on my own for too long after all" He said, smiling back as they grabbed their bag and started to make their way towards Jemma's door.

When they made it there, they were only embarking families and elderly people so they had to wait a little bit more. As they stood there and probably for the first time since they met, they found themselves not knowing what to say to each other. He didn't think it would feel quite so ... strange to dance with her. They'd been this close a few times, when she cried in his arms after a bad break up or when one they went back from the bar a bit inabriated and both fell asleep in a mess of tangled limbs on his bed. When they woke up they were a bit confused and awkward, but then they remembered and just laughed about it. But now, they had just danced a few minutes but it felt ... different. He had to admit that her soft hands on his neck had felt nice and for some reason, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her.

Well, it probably just had been a long day, even a long week actually, he thought. Two weeks apart would put things back normal. At least there was a good side to their momentary separation. He was interrupted in his musings by Jemma telling her she was allowed to embark now.

"Okay, I should go now" She said, putting her bag back on her shoulder.

"Yeah! I'll cross my fingers for you to be seated next to a woman ... or a gay man ... or a child ... make it a mute child!" He said, grinning slightly.

"Thank you, that's really sweet of you" She said chuckling. "Aww, I'm really going to miss you ..." She added sighing. "You're the most important person in my life and we never get to see each other at Christmas" She finished with a frown.

"Yeah it is really too bad ..."

"Maybe next year, you could come spend a few days home just after Christmas. You could even bring your mom if you liked, my parents wouldn't mind ..." She said with a tentative smile.

"That's a great idea, I think I'd love that ..." He said and they smiled softly at each other.

"Okay I really have to go now, I'll see you in two weeks!" She said as she engulfed him in a big hug like she did every year to say goodbye.

"I'll see you in two weeks, happy Christmas Jemma" he said in a soft voice, his mouth being just next to her hear.

But as she started untangling her hands from behind his neck, she didn't let go completely and kept one of her hands on his shoulder. When their eyes met, she had an undefinable smile on her face and after what looked like a second's hesitation, she used the hand on his shoulder as leverage, pressed up on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his. For a second, an alarm sounded in his head telling him that this wasn't normal and the next, he was kissing her back. It remained soft and chaste but their lips still moved against each other for a moment. After what could have been a few seconds or a whole day, she broke it off and stepped back and it's only then that he realized that his hands were on her waist the whole time. She looked at him with that same unusual smile and said: "Happy Christmas Fitz" then she put her bag on her shoulder for good before giving him one last look and walking away towards the counter.

It took a whole ten seconds for Fitz's jaw to close and his brain to work again. By the time it did, Jemma was already giving her ticket and entering the corridor leading to the entrance of the plane.

"WHAT. THE. HELL JUST HAPPENED?!" Fitz cried in his mind.

-0-0-0-

As Jemma was walking towards the entrance of the plane, she thought she was doing a really good job looking normal but inside it was just as chaotic as the airport had been a few hours ago. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and a voice, her voice really, was screaming in her mind: "JEMMA, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?"


	2. Chapter 2

**I finally managed to finish this chapter on time :) I hope you'll enjoy it and wish you all a very good new year's eve :) Next chapter should be up in a week or so !**

Christmas at the Simmons' was rather uneventful. As always, Jemma offered to help with the cooking and house chores and as always, her parents dismissed her. They kept telling her that she looked exhausted and she should just rest. It was a nice sentiment really but after two days of doing nothing but rest, it was getting a little vexing. And of course it gave her plenty of time to think about what happened with Fitz at the airport.

Since she arrived at her parent's house, Fitz and her texted about everything and nothing like they usually do during the few days of the year they're not together. They texted each other pictures of all the ugly Christmas sweaters they came across and exchanged about their projects together because, even on holidays, they couldn't completely get their minds off work. Everything was just like usual between them ... except that she did something completely unusual and they were acting like nothing happened.

To be honest, she didn't know what the kiss meant herself so why would Fitz know what to say about it? Maybe it would be easier to talk about it face to face. They couldn't act like nothing happened once they'd see each other, could they?

When the day of the Doctor Who Christmas special came and they skyped to watch it together, there was an obvious moment of awkwardness. But barely a minute later, the episode began and once they were focused on it, Jemma didn't feel like bringing the subject. It could probably wait until it was over. Except that when the episode was over, they kept talking about it for a moment until Fitz's mother needed him and he had to end the call.

So what did this all mean? Did he think it was just a very friendly kiss? Did he think it was just too weird and preferred to forget about it? Or was he just as confused as she was?

Fortunately, she followed Fitz's advice and contacted her old friend Skye. She was just waiting for her in a small cafe in the city center of Sheffield. Skye tended to be annoying sometimes, meddling in things that weren't her business but for once, it could be useful. Maybe talking about it with someone else would help her clear things out in her mind.

-0-0-0-

"Well hello there stranger!" Skye said cheerfully and grinned widely when Jemma jumped in surprise.

"Hey Skye! So lovely to see you!" Jemma said as she stood up from the comfy armchair she was sitting on and hugged her old friend.

"It's nice to see you too!" Skye said with a soft smile as she took a sit next to her friend.

Even though they hadn't seen each other in over a year, talking still felt as easy as it used to be. As they were waiting for Skye's drink and cake to be brought to the table, they started talking about the usual ordinary things. They asked news of each other's family, asked if Christmas went well and if they had news about their other common friends. Jemma felt a bit ashamed to say that she didn't have news about anyone else.

"Actually, you're the only friend that's not from school that I've talked to in over a year. I feel so bad and ..." She started but Skye cut her off.

"Don't beat yourself up too bad Jem, I know you really are super busy at your genius academy. And I mean really busy, not when I say I have too much work to avoid diner at my mom's!" She said with a smirk.

"Yeah I guess but still ..." Jemma started with a small smile.

"No really, I mean you really look pretty exhausted ..." Skye said and Jemma rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on I've spent the last four days basically just eating and sleeping, people need to stop saying I look exhausted!" She said and Skye chuckled.

"Sorry sorry, you look fine really but you might be even paler than usual ..."

"Well ..." Jemma started as she was pondering Skye's words. "... it's true I haven't left the lab that much lately" She finished and Skye gave her a sympathetic smile.

Just as Skye's smile was turning a little mischievous and Jemma knew she was about to say or ask something indiscreet, the waiter came with her drink. So even if, for once, Jemma was kind of counting on it, this gave her time to brace herself.

"So, enough with the boring stuff ..." Skye started the second the waiter was walking away from their table. "... what's new in your life?" She said, putting a special inflection on the word life and Jemma knew exactly what she meant by it. "Are you still with that Milton guy?" Skye finished and couldn't help wincing a bit as she said his name. Was Jemma really the only person who actually appreciated Milton at some point?

"...ugh ..." She said and that's all Skye needed to understand they weren't together anymore.

"Oh sorry ... What happened?" She said, trying to look as sympathetic as she could.

"Oh nothing big really ... he was sweet at first but at some point he started to feel threatened by my intelligence and he wasn't so sweet anymore ... breakup wasn't pretty ..." She said, rolling her eyes. It was an old story now and she didn't care anymore but it still made her a bit mad to think about it.

"I'm really sorry but you're better off without him ... always thought you deserved better. He was just so ... boring!" She said, letting out a big comical sigh and Jemma couldn't help laughing.

"How could you know he was boring? You never even met him!" She said and Skye rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"I didn't need to. I could tell by all the things you told me about him. You need someone who can challenge you intellectually, not someone who agrees with everything you say" Skye answered and Jemma couldn't help smiling at the way it mirrored what Fitz said to her all the time she was dating Milton and several times after.

"Well Fitz kept saying it too ... maybe you two should be in charge of deciding who I should be dating" She said with an amused smile.

"Well talking about who you should be dating ... How's Fitzy?" Skye said, her mischievous smile back on her face.

How didn't I see that coming? Jemma thought.

"Fitz is fine, thanks for asking" She answered with an innocent smile, voluntarily ignoring Skye's innuendo.

"Come on, it's been four years, you spend all your time together and you're telling me nothing's ever happened between the two of you?" Skye said, turning to get closer to Jemma to try and look a little bit more intimidating.

"Whaaat? With Fitz? No, of course no, no no no" She said, her voice strangely high pitched and she winced at how bad it sounded. She was so used to telling people there was nothing between them that even when she wanted to talk about Fitz with someone, she couldn't get herself to admit that something did happen.

"Wow ... I knew you were bad but I think that was probably the worst lie I have ever heard ... And to think you're training in a super spy academy ..." She said, shaking her head in fake disappointment, unable to hide the excited grin that made its way on her face.

"Well ..." Jemma started, furiously blushing.

"Come on, spill the beans Simmons ..." Skye cut her off.

"Okay, something might have happened just before I took my plane home ..." She started and Skye's eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean by might have happened? Either something happened or it didn't!"

"Well, something did happen, I'm just not sure what it meant ..." She started and Skye put herself in serious mode, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms on her chest.

"We couldn't take the same plane home this time but Fitz still came to the airport with me even if his plane was hours after mine ..." She started.

"How sweet!" Skye said with a soft smile.

"I know right? ... Anyway, my plane was delayed because of the snow so we ended up spending almost five hours together at the airport. So we did what we usually do, got something to eat, had a few beers, a cup of tea ... but he also put his coat on me when I fell asleep on his lap and even asked to dance on this stupid song I always dance to on my own ... and he hates dancing ... I mean, he's always been really good to me but this time, he was just extra sweet ..."

By the end of Jemma's sentence, Skye's smile had extended from ear to ear and she was literally swooning.

"Wow ... that's better than 90 percents of the dates I had these past two years!" Skye said and as Jemma was about to object and say they were just passing time together, realization dawned on her.

"Of course ... it felt exactly like a date ... I mean it obviously wasn't one but it did feel like it ... that's why I ..." She started but hesitated. This was her last chance of keeping her secret for herself.

"That's why you what? Come on, the suspense is killing me!" Skye said and Jemma chuckled.

"Well, when my plane was finally ready to embark, Fitz walked me there and I gave him a big goodbye hug, like I usually do but before letting him go I kind of ... kissed him ..." She said, her voice barely a whisper by the end of her sentence.

"WHAT?" Skye said, literally bouncing on her chair. "On the lips right? Because if I got to listen to all of this for a kiss on the cheek I'm going to ..." She started but Jemma cut her off.

"Yeah yeah on the lips Skye" She said, blushing again.

"Thank god! Finally! So what happened next?" Skye asked, excitment growing on her face and Jemma couldn't help smiling at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Well, it was really impulsive and then I didn't really give him time to react before I left to catch my plane" She said, wincing again and Skye rolled her eyes.

"Oh Jemma ... but surely you talked about it on the phone or via Skype or whatever since then? You two are incapable of staying a single say without talking to each other some way or another"

"Well you're right but that's the thing ... we texted and talked via Skype a few times but the subject never came up and now I'm not sure of what it meant and I have no idea how he feels about it ..." She said with a slight note of desperation in her voice. Whatever it was, her relationship with Fitz was the most important one in her life and she didn't want to mess it up.

"Well at least I know that talking about him puts some color back on your cheeks ..." Skye started with a fond smile. "... and at least you have to know how you meant it ... was it more than a friendly kiss?"

"Yeah I guess so, I mean I don't usually kiss my friends on the lips ... and it was rather quick but I think our lips parted and moved and ... I'm pretty sure his hands were on my waist at some point ..." She said, blushing an even deeper shade of red at the memory.

"Oh so he did kiss you back?" Skye asked.

"Well yeah but you know maybe he just did it automatically or because he didn't want me to feel bad or I don't know ..." Jemma started but Skye cut her off.

"I highly doubt it but anyway you won't know until you ask him. But really, we both know how compatible you two are on every other aspect so that really leaves you with only two questions: Did you like it and do you want to do it again?"

After a few seconds of reflexion, a small smile made its way on Jemma's lips and soon grew to occupy most of her face.

"Feel free to name your first kid after me" Skye said with a matching smile.

-0-0-0-

Christmas at Fitz's house was even calmer than it was for Jemma in Sheffield. Fitz's dad left when he was too young to remember it and since then, it's only ever been him and his mom. So except for the occasional visit from a neighbor looking for a few gossips about the local boy who went to study at the spy academy in the US, his two weeks were spent mostly repairing everything around the house and stuffing his face with his mom's cooking. Jemma would force him to eat extra healthy after the holidays anyway so he didn't even feel guilty about it. So even though he forced himself to go out for a walk a few times, it still left him plenty of time to think about the fact that his best friend in the world kissed him and left to catch her plane without giving them the time to talk about it.

The days following the kiss, they exchanged via text messages as usual about a lot of things but neither of them mentioned it. Fitz thought that since she was the one who kissed him, she was probably waiting for him to say something about it. But then he thought that maybe she wasn't talking about it because she meant it as a friendly kiss and didn't think there was anything to say about it. But then again, they'd been friends for four years and she never did that and it sure didn't feel like a friendly kiss. So maybe he should just ask her ...

Once his thoughts about that had gone full circle, they started again and when Doctor Who day came, he still hadn't decided if he should talk to her about it or not. Maybe, seeing each other would force them to confront their feelings about the kiss. But after a few moments of awkwardness that, at least, confirmed that it was more than a friendly kiss, they started watching the show and he didn't feel like bringing up such an important subject while they were watching TV.

After the show, as they were talking about the episode they just saw and he was finally working up the courage to say something, his mom called him because the lights in the kitchen were acting out again. So he just said goodbye quickly and went to help his mother. Their conversation would have to wait some more.

As he was working to make the electric system of their old kitchen a little more stable, his mom was sat at the kitchen table, watching him work and asking way too many questions for him to properly focus on his work.

"Sorry for making you work so late dear. I hope I didn't interrupt anything with Jemma ..." She said with a playful tone and he rolled his eyes.

"'s fine ..." He said. "We were finished watching the show, I was going to end the call soon anyway" He added, glad she couldn't see his face because he'd never been able to lie to her in a convincing way.

"Oh good then ..." She said and he could swear there was a little disappointment in her voice but of course, that didn't stop her. "So how's my future daughter in law doing?" She added and this time, he sighed loudly, glad that his face was already red from the slightly physical work he was doing.

"My friend Jemma is doing very good, thanks for asking" He said, hoping she wouldn't insist anymore. He was confused enough about her, he didn't need his mom to confuse him even more and he certainly wasn't going to talk to her about the kiss or she might book a church for the wedding before he even had the time to talk about it with Jemma.

"Oh Leo ... you know I only want your happiness, and you two, you're so adorable together. If I believed in those kinds of things I'd say you're soul mates, it's so rare to find something ..."

"Moooom, please let's not have that discussion again. I know you mean well but Jemma is my best friend and ..." He started but she cut him off again.

"Okay, okay I'll stop but please just think about it ... could you think of someone more perfect for you than she is?" She said with a soft tone.

He was going to answer his usual "Jemma is great but she's just my best friend" but then the wheels in his brain started working real fast and everything except for what was going on in his brain disappeared for a moment.

When Leo Fitz left for the US to join the SHIELD academy at sixteen, Lorna Fitz had been really worried. Back home, he didn't really have any friends. He was at the same time really shy and kind of grumpy and the fact that he was always so much smarter than his classmates, and most of his teachers actually, didn't help him fit in. So when Fitz came home for Christmas during his first year and couldn't stop talking about his new friend Jemma, she was delighted.

When she came to visit a few months later, met Jemma and saw them together, it was the start of her obsession with them being perfect for each other. She couldn't stop going on about how wonderful she was and even if it was true that she was the sweetest, smartest and probably most beautiful girl, well woman now, he knew, he'd only ever saw her as the best friend he ever had. Their relationship was so precious to him that he never even thought about how it could change ... until now.

He had already come to the conclusion that it was more than a friendly kiss. She had obviously meant it to be on the lips and it lasted too long to be a simple friendly peck. Also at some point, his lower lip was between her lips and her hands were on his neck the whole time and for some reason ... he responded to it. With everyone asking if they were a couple for years, he had already wondered what it would be like to kiss her and he had come to the conclusion that it would be like kissing his cousin. But once the shock of the first touch of her lips passed, it actually felt incredibly good and right and he couldn't resist kissing her back. He remembered how his hands went to her waist, how his heart started to beat faster and how he was disappointed when Jemma broke the kiss so soon.

Kissing Jemma was just as brilliant as everything they did together so were his mom, and pretty much everyone they knew, right all this time? Were they really perfect for each other? But more importantly, did Jemma feel the same about it? Because maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing, maybe she didn't feel anything and that's why she broke the kiss so fast, maybe she regretted the whole thing, maybe ...

"Leo, did you hear me dear?" His mom said, interrupting him just as his thoughts were starting to run around in circles again.

"What? Yeah yeah ..." He said as he started working again, hoping his mom didn't notice his momentary confusion. "I will surely think about it ..." He added under his breath and if his mom heard, she apparently chose not to respond.

A few meters away though, a big smile was making its way on Lorna Fitz's face. After all these years, was his son finally using that big brain of his to see what had been in front his eyes from the beginning?


	3. Chapter 3

**And here is the last part of this story and it's quite a long chapter :) Took me some time to decide how to end it exactly so I hope you'll like it :)**  
 **Thanks again to everyone who followed that story and thanks for the nice reviews !**

After hesitating all morning, Fitz finally decided to wait for Jemma in the common room of their dorm. He'd been back since the previous day and since Jemma's plane was supposed to land an hour ago, she would soon be arriving at the academy.

At first, he thought that maybe, he should go pick her up at the airport, but he never did that once since they knew each other and he didn't want to put pressure on her when she was just out of the airplane, probably still half asleep anyway. Then he thought that maybe he should just get to work and wait for her to come say hello. But then again, he'd been waiting to have that conversation for the past two weeks and he didn't feel like waiting anymore. He was afraid that if they didn't talk about it as soon as she got back, they would just keep on acting like nothing happened. He didn't know where the discussion would lead but he didn't want to forget that kiss.

Fitz was interrupted in his thoughts by the sound of the door of the hall opening, letting a bit of the outside cold in. He diverted his gaze from the book he wasn't really reading and looked up. Jemma beamed at him.

Here we go, it's now or never, Fitz thought as he stood up to walk towards her.

"Happy new year Fitz!" Jemma said as she put down her many bags and after a second's hesitation, engulfed Fitz in a big hug just like she did every year when they saw each other for the first time after the holidays.

"Happy new year Jemma" He said, smiling and on impulse deposited a small kiss on the top of her head before letting her go. "I'll help you get these to your room!" He said, looking towards her bag with a small grin.

"Oh ... thank you" She said, smiling a little shyly.

"How come it's even heavier than when you left?" He said, rolling his eyes as he took her biggest suitcase and started walking towards the elevator leading to her floor. "Did you decide to keep all those Christmas gifts to yourself after all?" He added and she rolled her eyes.

"Ah ah ah. My parents went a little crazy with the gifts they gave me this year" She said. "Also, my mom is apparently under the impression we don't get proper food here in the US ... so she packed every available space in my bags with food!" She added and Fitz chuckled.

"Ah yeah of course ... my mom wanted to do that but I think I ate everything in the house!" He said with quite a satisfied grin.

"Oh Fitz ..." She said, rolling her eyes fondly.

"I knew you were going to make me eat vegetables and do sports, I had to pack up on fat and sugar while I still could" He answered as they were getting out of the elevator and walking towards her room now. She rolled her eyes again but couldn't help laughing fondly. Sometimes, they really had the habits of an old married couple.

"So how was your flight?" He said after a moment of silence as she was fishing for her keys in her bag.

"Great! The plane wasn't fully booked so I had the whole row to myself! Can you imagine that?" She said with a big smile as she finally found the keys and opened the door.

"Lucky you!" He said with a sigh as they were walking inside her room. As she was closing the door behind them, he couldn't help the small smile at the sight of her room. Jemma was probably the only student he knew who left her room so clean and tidy before leaving for the holidays. Somehow, it even still smelled of her flowery perfume when she'd been absent for two weeks. On the other hand, he considered it a personal victory if all his dirty clothes were in the laundry basket and his room didn't smell too bad.

"So I suppose your flight wasn't as calm?" She asked with a sympathetic smile as she took off her big coat, put it on the coat hanger and started moving around the room to do all the things she was always doing and that probably explained why her room always looked and smelled so nice.

"Young couple with a baby ..." He said, rolling his eyes and she winced.

"Ouch ..." She said.

"Yeah ..."

"So did you start working on ..." She started but he cut her off.

"Jemma ..." He started and the sudden seriousness in his voice was enough to take her attention away from whatever she was doing. "... I think we need to talk" He added with a smile so it wouldn't sound like it was a bad news ... and hoping he wouldn't have to hear one himself.

"Oh ... yeah ... yeah I guess we do" She said with a shy little smile of her own and sat down on the side of her bed.

After a moment's hesitation, he sat next to her but not too close. He didn't want it to feel awkward but whatever the outcome, having this conversation with Jemma would be awkward anyway, wether he was sitting really close or a mile away from her.

"So what... do you-I mean what did ... " He started but somehow after thinking about having this conversation for two weeks, he was at a loss for words.

"Fitz wait, I kissed you, I should be the one to start talking I guess ..." She said and the mere mention of the word made them both pink in the cheeks.

"Okay ..."

"Well first of all, it was more than a simple friendly kiss but I guess you got that or you wouldn't feel the need to talk about it" She started and his throat bobbed hard as he nodded. "But it's not like it was planned, I was so exhausted and you were so sweet all evening and ... I was going to miss you so much and we had so much fun that I acted impulsively and ..." She added and Fitz's face fell at her last words.

Of course she regrets it, Fitz thought. That's why she didn't bring up the subject, she was probably hoping he would choose to forget about it too. Ironically, that was the exact moment he finally knew for sure that he wanted that kiss to mean something. Something real and lasting, not just a momentarily confusion. But he was lucky enough to have her as his best friend and that would have to suffice.

"Oh okay ... that's alright. I get it, you were just really tired and-and confused and you didn't know what ..." He started as he stood up, trying not to let his disappointment show but she cut him off.

"No Fitz! I mean yes I was really tired but I think I was actually as clear-headed as I've ever been ... when I kissed you ..." She said, standing up to face him again.

A few minutes passed and as they were just looking at each other, it felt like a million different emotions passed between them. There was surprise and shock as well as hope and vulnerability in their eyes. But above all that, there was an infinite layer of tenderness and friendship and love and that's what pushed Fitz to take a step forward and take her hand in his before he spoke.

"Well whatever it meant, I ... liked it ... a lot" He said and they beamed at each other a bit awkwardly but sincerely, not caring that their cheeks were now a deep shade of red.

"Actually, I spent hours analyzing it these past two weeks, wondering if it was just a friendly kiss but then we've been friends for years and you never ..." He started when she didn't answer immediately.

"Fitz ..." She tried to cut him off but he seemed so caught up in his speech that he kept going anyway.

"... did that. And then I wondered if it even lasted long enough for it to be considered a real kiss. I mean you barely gave me time to react and ..."

"Fitz I ..."

"... and then you were already boarding your plane and I still had the taste of your tea on my lips and ..."

"Fitz me too!" She said, a little louder, hoping it would stop him for a moment.

"Well, of course, you were the one who'd just drank that tea ..."

"No Fitz! I mean yes of course I just had tea but what I wanted to say is that I ... liked it ... too ... the kiss I mean. I really liked kissing you, Fitz and it's terribly confusing ..." She said, somehow feeling a little out of breath and he finally stopped talking.

Once again, they found themselves looking at each other with a perfect mix of surprise, shyness and tenderness. They were breathless, both from speaking so fast and the intensity of what was going on between them at this very moment. After a minute or so, Fitz's gaze was attracted to her lips and he caught her looking at his. But it's the longing he saw in her eyes at this moment that gave him the courage to take that one real and metaphorical last step towards her and press his lips gently against hers.

-0-0-0-

As their lips touched, one of Fitz's hands delicately cradled her jaw and that simple touch sent a delicious shiver down her spine. At first it was just as careful and gentle as the kiss they shared at the airport. It was like they were testing the possibility of going from best friends in the world to more than that and they didn't want to rush things. But when his hand went from her face to her hair, she felt another shiver and her kisses became more urgent. Her hands went to his neck to try and bring him closer. He was obviously on the same wavelenght because the next second, both his hands descended to her waist and he pulled her flush to him. The feeling of the strong hands she didn't know he had, on her waist, made her sigh against his lips. This seemed to spurn him on because that's when he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and she very willingly parted her lips to deepen the kiss.

If their first kiss had left her a bit shocked and confused, this one was slowly but very efficiently washing away any trace of doubt left in her mind. Whatever they were to each other now, they were definitely more than friends. After such a knee-weakening kiss, there was no going back to being "just" friends, even though she always felt that this word wasn't enough to describe their relationship anyway. They'd always been so in synch about everything that it shouldn't have surprised her to be so physically compatible with him as well. But it still did and it was a delicious surprise. It's only when the lack of air became a real problem that they very reluctantly broke the kiss. Before she had the time to open her eyes and come back to reality to face the consequences of what they'd just done, he laid a few butterfly kisses on her lips and she couldn't stop the delighted giggles that came out of her mouth. As they were both catching their breath, they remained in each other arms, her head in the crook of his neck and his against her hair.

"Wow ..." They both said in unison when they finally broke apart a bit and opened their eyes again, and it made them laugh.

"And I think I ... like ... you too ... I mean like more than a friend ... in case that didn't come through just now" She said, a soft smile on her face.

"Oh yeah?" He answered grinning.

"Yeah ..." She answered, softly grazing his stubbled cheek with the tips of her fingers, smiling when she felt him shiver at the touch.

"Good ... cause I like you too ..." He answered, smiling back.

"So ... what now?" She said with an hopeful smile and after a moment, a grin made its way on his face.

"I wouldn't mind more kissing actually ... you know ... just to make sure ..." He started and she gently rolled her eyes.

"Fiiiitz! I meant what about our relationship? What about us? What are we now?" She said looking up closely at him as he still had her trapped in his arms, not that she minded.

"I know Jemma" He said smiling back softly. "How about we talk about it over dinner? Some place nice ..."

"You mean like a ... date kind of dinner?" She said, blushing slightly.

"Yeah?" He answered with a tentative smile that made her heart melt.

"I think I'd like that yes" She said, beaming back.

"Okay, then let me find a restaurant and I'll come pick you up at ... say seven?" He said and she could only smile at him. "Is that alright with you Jemma?" He added, visibly a bit confused at her lack of answer.

"Yeah ..." She just said.

"Are you sure? You're not having regrets or ..." He said, a little worry starting to show on his face.

"No no no, I mean yes, I'm sure. It's just so ... I don't know ... it feels so unreal ... going on a date with Leo Fitz, my best friend in the world ... but in the mean time, it feels so ... obvious. Does it make sense?" She said and his face relaxed as he took her hand in his.

"Yeah it does. I feel the same ... it's going to take some getting used to but I think it's going to be ..."

"...worth it" She finished for him and they beamed at each other again.

"Yeah ... Okay I really have to go back to work now. I'll let you settle back in and I'll see you later yeah?" He said as he finally let go of her and started walking towards the door.

"Yes ..." She said with a slightly mischievous smile and before he had the time to open the door, she grabbed his arm again and pulled him to her with a strength that seemed to surprise him. She captured his lips for a searing kiss, trapping him between her and the door. His hands went to her waist again and from the low moan that escaped his lips when she deepened the kiss, it seemed to have just as big an effect on him as it was having on her. When she broke the kiss, his beautiful blue eyes were made much darker by desire and she couldn't help smiling. Being able to make him feel that way with a kiss, even such a steamy one, made her mind travel to definitely more than friends territory.

"Just checking ... you know ... for science" She said, a grin making its way back on her face and he could only nod, breathless as he was. She felt a little bot proud being able to render the smartest man she knew incapable of speaking. "You can go back to work now ..." She added with a slightly amused tone when he kept looking at her and didn't make a single move.

"Yeah I'll go ... in a minute or so" He said, blushing furiously.

-0-0-0-

That day, Fitz estimated that he spent at best one hour working on his drones and the rest preparing for his date with his best friend and thinking about all the ways it could go wrong. He spent at least a good hour finding the restaurant. He wanted it to be a nice place with good food and a nice atmosphere. But he didn't want it to be too romantic, it would feel strange enough being there with her, there was no need to go overboard. After looking up every single restaurant in town and every single review online, he finally found the one.

Then after failing to work more than five minutes without letting his mind drift towards Jemma, he decided to check if he had something nice to wear so he wouldn't feel underdressed compared to her. Jemma was always prepared for any situation. He would have to start getting ready in an hour anyway so he might as well get ready now. But when he started thinking about what she would wear and how dressed up she would be, his mind drifted off once more. Their heated kisses earlier that day had opened a whole new trail of thoughts in his mind and imagining his best friends in various types of clothing didn't help his concentration. After a long slightly cold shower, he laid out all his clothes that weren't jeans or funny t-shirts and found himself utterly lost. Usually, he didn't have to worry about that because Jemma always told him what to wear.

As if they really had a psychic link, that's the moment Jemma chose to send him a text.

Jemma: Hey :) Making any progress?

Fitz: Not really, I'm kinda stuck here. Might need your help!

Jemma: Sure! About what exactly? :)

Fitz: Well ... I have this date tonight

Fitz: It's kind of important

Fitz: and I have no idea what to wear ...

Jemma: Interesting ...

Jemma: Well I'd say that whoever is that brilliant young woman, she probably won't care much what you're wearing ...

Jemma: But she would probably think your dark blue shirt and grey trousers fit you especially well and that a tie isn't required ...

Fitz: Oh yeah? :D

Fitz answered and he couldn't help grinning like a mad man. So Jemma already had her own idea about what she liked on him ... When he thought back on it, she always told him what fitted him best, what he should wear depending on the context and what his date would probably like ... but he never stopped to think that maybe she was just telling him what SHE liked all this time.

Jemma: Yeah :)

Jemma: Also ... don't shave ;)

Fitz felt a bit ridiculous blushing at a winking emoticon. Jemma had probably sent him hundreds of winking emoticons over the past four years but somehow coupled with another sentence about his appearance, it felt a little different.

Fitz: I'll keep that in mind ...

He almost had a mind to ask her what she would wear but he thought it might be a little too flirty too soon.

Jemma: So how is WORK doing?

Fitz: Fine ... 'm just having a little trouble focusing ...

Jemma: Are you maybe just as nervous as I am?

Fitz: Nervous, excited, scared, really nervous, I don't know ...

After that text, Jemma didn't answer immediately so he started getting dressed. When he was finished and she still hadn't answered, he started to wonder if maybe he said something wrong. Great, he thought, our date hasn't even started yet and I'm already messing it up. But then, there was a knock on the door. When he opened it, Jemma was there, a shy but sincere smile on her face.

"Couldn't focus on anything else either so ... I thought I'd hang out with my best friend before my big date" She said and he beamed at her, overwhelmed by a wave a tenderness. Of course, Jemma had always been the last person he saw before anything important in his life, wether it was professional or personal. So why should tonight be any different?

"That's a really good idea" He said as he moved to the side to let her in. "Wanna see what I've done for Sneezy? Maybe you can actually help me" He added as he closed the door behind them.

"Of course, let me see what I can do" She said as she sat next to him in front of his desk. Standard desks in every dorm room at the academy weren't made for two people, but since they were always working together more often than not, they had both rearranged their room to bring a bigger desk before their exam week on their first year and never changed it back.

"Pretty dress by the way ... I'm sure your date will find you very beautiful" He said tentatively and she could only smile fondly at his sweet and slightly awkward attempt at flirting.

After that, they worked on Fitz's drone and actually managed to get more work done in an hour than during the rest of the whole day. Somehow, getting to work together, speaking about their respective projects and just act like they always did made things easier. It reminded them how great they would always be together, that whatever they would become, it would be based on the best, strongest friendship they ever knew.

So when the moment to leave for the restaurant came, Fitz turned off his computer, helped her put her coat back on and took her hand to lead her out. As they intertwined their fingers together and shared a tender smile, only a little nervousness remained, most of it having been replaced by excitement and anticipation.

-0-0-0-

"We'll have to test him to be sure but I think that with the way we organized the new sensors, his efficiency should be improved by at least a hundred percents!" Fitz said enthusiastically.

"His?" She answered with a mocking grin.

"Of course it's a him ... if you had spent as much time as I had on Sneezy, you would get attached too" He answered with a slightly offended tone and she smiled fondly.

"Well I did spend quite some time _watching you_ work on him ..." She answered.

"And you're telling you don't see how cute he is ..." He said raising an eyebrow.

"Well ..." She said and he looked at her in mock offense.

"Wow ... maybe you're just really cold hearted. ..." He started and she rolled her eyes. "I should have known ... what with all the dissecting and ... ouch" He finished as she swatted his arm. "... and violent!" He added, not able to stop the grin making its way on his face.

"Cold hearted uh?" She said after a few seconds of trying to glare at him. "... to think I was _this_ close to backing up your request for a monkey assistant ..." She added, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Wha ..." He started but he was interrupted by the waiter bringing their food.

Even though the holidays were over, Fitz had managed to make Jemma postpone the beginning of her usual post Christmas diet, arguing that it was a pretty special occasion. It might even be one of the most important date of their life so they should be allowed to indulge themselves with some nice pasta and wine ... and maybe even a dessert!

Once the waiter deposited their food and left their table, Jemma looked back at him and saw the look of shock he managed to keep on his face and couldn't help laughing. She had to admit he was good at maintaining a serious face for a really long time.

"Fine I will back up that request but you know they'll never agree to it, right?" She said and couldn't help smiling fondly when she saw the look of joy on his face.

"You don't know that ..."

"Fiiiitz ..." She said, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Fine ... there's a very slim chance of that happening ... but I do appreciate the gesture though ..." He said, looking at her in that special way that was full of tenderness and that indefinable something that always made her heart flutter a bit, even before she realized there could be something more between them.

"Oh you're quite welcome" She answered, smiling softly. "Also I was thinking we could go to the botanic garden to test Sneezy, it would be a good test for him with all those smells ..." She started as she took her fork to take a first bite of her pasta. "...oh my god, this is amazing, Fitz you have to taste this!" She said and took a few more of her penne on her fork and brought it to Fitz's mouth before he could even say anything.

"Humm ... yeah that's ..." He started. "Yeah, that's really good" He finished once he finally swallowed and she smiled softly before going back to her pasta. After a moment though, she realized Fitz wasn't eating and was looking at her with an undefinable smile again.

"What?" She said, raising her eyebrow and putting down her fork for a moment.

"Nothing it's just ... the botanic garden is a really good idea but ..." He started, his smile growing bigger.

"But what Fitz?" She said, smiling tentatively, not understanding why it made him smile so much.

"I always thought it was pretty romantic ... what with all the flowers, and birds and all those nice smells ..." He said with a glint in his eyes and she finally saw where he was going with that.

"Yes, me too actually ..." She said with a flirtatious smile and she could see his throat bob slightly at her words.

"Oh ... so did you mean to go there as a kind of ... second date?" He said, getting closer to the table and to her as she said it.

"Well I don't know, I really thought it would be a nice place to test sneezy but also ... I really wouldn't mind going to such a nice romantic place with you ..." She said as she took his hand in hers and they beamed at each other.

"So ... tonight's going pretty well right?" He asked, his smile turning a little shy.

"Yeah ... it really is, not that I really doubted it actually ..." She said, squeezing his hand gently to reassure him. "You know, I wonder what would have happened if we didn't spend that evening at the airport together and if you hadn't been sweet to the point where I felt like kissing you ..." She started and he cut her off.

"I'm always sweet!" He said with a childish smile and she chuckled.

"Yeah I guess you are, most of the time anyway ..." She said, grinning. "But really, what would have happened? It might have taken us another four years and many disappointing dates to realize what there could be between us ..." She said and he seemed to give it a serious thought before answering.

"Naaaaah ... we're geniuses, we would have figured it out soon enough ..."

"But are we really?" She said with a raised eyebrow and he was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I can't even keep count of all the times I was on a date these past four years and wished I was with you. I actually ruined a few dates by saying Fitz would understand that joke or Fitz would love that exhibition ... and I never sleep better than when I fall asleep on your shoulder when we work late. And yet somehow it never occurred to me that we could be ... more" She said and he smiled knowingly.

"Ah ... well you know ... every time I tried dating and it failed miserably I ended up wishing I could find someone like you. Emily even told me I should date you since I was more interested in talking about you than in listening to her anyway ... and yet somehow I never considered it ..." He said and they both felt a little sheepish for a moment. "I guess we've been a little, well very oblivious ..." He added.

"Yeah ..."

"But we're still geniuses right?" He asked and she laughed loudly.

"Yeah we are ... just not with everything I guess" She answered and he smiled at her before bringing her hand to his mouth and laying a kiss on her knuckles. "We're getting better though ..." She added, blushing slightly at his old fashioned but so charming romantic gesture.

"Also ... I hated every single one of your boyfriends ... not just Milton!" He said and she chuckled loudly.

"Oh Fitz ... but you seemed to like Tad at least, you even had a drink with him once ..."

"Oh no no no, we were just waiting for you and I used that time alone with him to try and learn some dark secrets that would get him out of the picture ..." He said and she rolled her eyes. "... turned out, he was just incredibly boring like all the others" He finished with a little grin.

"Well ... yeah, you're not wrong. I guess all men turn out to be boring after a time ... except you. I should have known ..." She said with a really warm smile and his eyes shot up at her last words. For a moment the world seemed to shrink to just this table and the both of them on either side of it.

"So we're really doing this?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from her and she noticed that for the first time since she met him, Fitz didn't seem interested at all by what was in his plate and it made her smile fondly.

"Yes ... anyway I don't know about you but after that kiss, I don't think I can go back to being ... you know ... _less_ than that" She said with a flirtatious grin.

"Yeah that would be a shame really ... " He said, grinning back at her and after a time, realization of what it meant dawned on him and he felt almost breathless. "So we're going to be dating now ...you, Jemma Simmons, are going to be my girlfriend, this-this is big Jemma, like life changing big ... you're the most important person in my life, you know that right and-and I don't want to mess everything up with you and you know ..."

"Fitz stop" She cut him off. "Yes it's going to be important and scary but mostly I think it's going to be all kinds of amazing. Our friendship has always been so perfect that I think it blinded me from the obvious fact _you_ were perfect for me ... in every possible way. So let's take things slow, take our time to make the transition and everything is going to be alright ..." She said and by the end of her sentence, happy tears were threatening to fall from their eyes.

"More than alright ..." He said and even though they both felt like it was too soon to say it, love was written all over their faces.

-0-0-0-

The rest of the evening went by rather smoothly. There were still a few moments where Fitz stopped mid-sentence and internally freaked out when he realized he was really openly flirting with his best friend. Jemma still felt a little shiver run down her spine every time Fitz took her hand in his but she was pretty sure that this feeling would actually never fade and she didn't want it to anyway. But with time, the intimate setting and maybe the wine helping, they started to slowly ease into this new romantic aspect of their relationship. They stayed at the restaurant talking, until it was almost closing time. That's when they realized they were both pretty exhausted and jet lagged and decided to call it a night. When they got out of the restaurant, they were hit by the outside cold and Fitz almost automatically put his arm around Jemma's shoulder to warm her up a bit.

"Wow I think this winter is even worse than last year's!" Fitz said as he put on his gloves and tightened his coat with the hand that wasn't around Jemma's shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't think it's ever been this cold around Christmas ... but for once I don't mind that much" She said smiling as she tightened her arm around his waist and kissed him on the cheek before putting her head on his shoulder. It was nothing new, they did that a number of times since they knew each other but it felt a little different this time. Fitz didn't feel like he had to let go before it got awkward and Jemma felt like she could relax completely in his arms and didn't feel the need to stifle the small contented sigh that came out of her mouth when his body heat started to radiate through their many layers of clothes.

-0-0-0-

Even though Jemma's room was just two floors above his, Fitz still decided to act like a perfect gentleman and walk her to her door. Who knew what terrible danger she could have crossed on her way? Some annoying classmate or even worse, a stupid ex-boyfriend? Of course they both knew it was just an excuse to get to spend a few more minutes together but once again, it was nothing new, they were always loathe to leave each other, which really should have tipped them off about the whole more than friends thing, Fitz thought.

"Tonight was really nice Fitz" She said as she took out her key from her bag and unlocked the door.

"Yes it was ..." He answered, beaming. "So we'll do that again ... soon? Right?"

"Yes, really soon!" She said as she took a step towards him and looked at him in a way that made his heart beat a little faster. "Well goodnight Fitz" She said and didn't leave him time to answer before she got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. Acting like the gentleman that he was, he put his arms around her waist to keep her steady and kissed her back, slow and languid.

"Goodnight Jem..." He started when they broke the kiss but was cut off by Jemma kissing him again, more urgently this time. She parted his lips with her tongue and this, coupled with the feeling of her fingers in his hair, made his brain short circuit for a moment. His hands descended to her waist and he pulled her flush to him, making her sigh into his mouth. It's only when his hands started to descend a little lower that she decided to pull him inside her room and he didn't even notice what she was doing, all too focused that he was on mapping the inside of her mouth, until she pushed him against the closed door.

"Hu Jemma ..." He said a little breathless as he tried to ignore the small whimper she let out when he broke the kiss. "... I thought we were going slow..." He added, his hands still on her very lower back.

"We are ..." She said as she pulled on his scarf to take it off him and let it fall to the ground. "... we're just ..." She started kissing his freshly uncovered neck. "... saying goodnight" She moved to his earlobe, making him stifle a loud moan. "... nothing wrong with that"

"Okay then ..." He said before bringing her face up to capture her lips again. As he kissed her passionately, he slowly divested her of her own scarf and went for the buttons of her coat. When he was done, he hesitated for a moment, feeling like their goodnight kiss was definitely turning into something else and as tempting as it was, it was also a bit scary. But she didn't give him too much time to think because the smallest pull on her coat was enough to make her take her hands away from him and shrug it off to let it fall unceremoniously to the floor. Jemma was usually so careful with her clothes that he couldn't help grinning. He was the one that made her feel so eager and he was quite proud about it. As soon as she was done, he took her hand and in a pretty smooth move and turned them around so she was the one pressed against the door now. The low moan she let out when he pressed himself against her to kiss her neck went straight to his guts and the urgency with which she unbuttoned his coat and pushed it down to the floor only put more fuel on the fire burning inside him. With so few layers of clothes between them now and her wearing such a form fitting dress, he wasn't going to be able to hide his obvious _interest_ much longer.

"Jemma I ..." He started as he was now descending towards her collarbone. "I really like saying goodbye to you ..." he said but then she tilted her head and slightly arched her back to give him better access to her neck which also gave him a peek at what was under her dress and he lost the ability to speak for a moment. So he just kept on peppering her neck and shoulders with delicate kisses until he was able to find his voice again. "... might become my favorite thing in the world actually" He added and she let out a delighted giggle both at his statement and at the feeling of his fingers delicately playing on the uncovered skin of her upper back. "... but if we keep going like this, I don't think I'll be able to control myself much longer ..." He said and when she gently pulled his head away from her neck, he gave her an almost apologetic smile.

"Oh Fitz ..." She said with a fond toothy grin as she started to push him towards her bed. "You know going slow can actually mean a lot of things ..." She added as her hands went for the first button of his shirt and he could only let her do as she liked, mesmerized as he was by the sight of her best friend looking at him like a lioness stalking her prey. How could he spend four years by her side and not realize how incredibly attracted he was to her. "... For instance, I could take this shirt off you extra slow ..." She said as she went for the second button and started nibbling on his earlobe, efficiently divesting him of the last remains of self control he had in him.

"Of course if you put like that ..." He said and before she had the time to open another one of his buttons, he encircled her waist and lifted her slightly off the floor, internally thanking her for being so light.

"Fiiiitz" She cried out, letting out another delighted squeak as she attached her arms behind his neck.

He turned them around and took the last remaining steps towards the bed. Then he let go of her and they both toppled into bed rather inelegantly. They both laughed about it for a moment until Jemma found herself flat on her back with Fitz just hovering over her on his forearms. The adoration and desire in his incredibly blue eyes took her breath away and she didn't feel like laughing anymore. She tilted her head up to kiss him softly on the lips and when she opened her eyes again, he had a mischievous smile on his face.

You know ..." He started as he kissed her collarbone "... we've known each other for four years ..." then kissed his way towards her heart. "... if you think about it, we've already taken it really slow" He finished, his smile now taking half of his face and after a few seconds, she smiled back just as wide.

"You might be a complete genius after all, Fitz"

-0-0-0-

The following Christmas, they didn't take the same plane home but only because they just didn't take a plane at all. After graduating from SHIELD academy in june, they were both assigned to Sci-Ops together. Even though it was a bit unusual to let two agents in a relationship work together, their bosses all knew the miracles they could accomplish as a team. So when they had to leave their dorm room and find an apartment, they did it together and their relationship only got better. People warned them that seing each other all day and going home to the same apartment might be a little too much but it wasn't. Their relationship had never been an ordinary one. They'd spent most of their waking time together since they were sixteen and yet it took them four years to realize they were in love with each other. So they weren't going to waste another day apart when they knew how perfect they were together.

So that year, both Jemma and Fitz's parents came to the US to celebrate Christmas in their brand new and beautiful apartment. One morning when Jemma was still asleep, Fitz's mother came to him and gave him his grandmother's engagement ring. Fitz protested and told her that it was too soon, that they moved in together only a few months ago and that things didn't need to go this fast. But his mom insisted so he still kept the ring. It couldn't hurt to have it safely hidden in his desk drawer.

A few days later, just as Fitz was thinking that he didn't feel like getting out of bed to get breakfast, Jemma walked in the room with a tray full of delicious breakfast food.

"Just thought you'd like breakfast in bed since it's so cold out!" She said with a warm smile as she climbed back under the covers. With the sun coming from behind her, she was surrounded by a halo of light and she looked like an angel.

That's it ... she's perfect, he thought.

"Oh what the hell ..." He said under his breath and turned to her to take her hands in his. "Marry me Jemma" He added, his voice clear this time.

"What? Fitz it's just breakfast, it didn't ..." She started, chuckling.

"No, I'm serious Jemma, I love you more than anything. It's not just breakfast, it's everything you do, everything you are. You're the one for me, I knew it from the first kiss we shared, probably even before that" He added, his voice full of emotions.

"Oh my god Fitz ..." She said, tears starting to pool in her eyes as she brought his face to her to kiss him softly on the lips.

"So ... what do you say?" He asked, his eyes filled with hope and vulnerability.

"Yes of course Fitz ... how could it go any differently?" She said and they fell into each other's arms, Jemma's carefully prepared breakfast long forgotten.

Turned out going slow wasn't really their thing anymore.


End file.
